15 Best NCIS Episodes, Ranked

High-profile investigations, powerful personalities, witty banter at the Navy Yard — and if we get really lucky, a particularly devious twist to solve. Those are the things a great “NCIS” episode is made of. 

From the time the Major Case Response Team was first introduced on “JAG” to the years “NCIS” spent as the most watched TV drama in the U.S., the show has weathered changes in the ever-evolving entertainment industry while building a legacy that few others can match. During this time, it’s also delivered some banger episodes that will leave fans on the edge of their seats even during a rewatch. But which “NCIS” episodes are the absolute greatest of them all? Here’s a look at TVLine’s top 15.

Also known as the one where Mark Harmon exits “NCIS” after 19 seasons. Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs had been a staple — no, the staple — of the show since the beginning, so “Great Wide Open” is a biggie by default. Director Terrence O’Hara and writers Brendan Fehily and David J. North deliver a huge goodbye episode where character interaction and final farewells get a lot of deserved attention. We also get some tense moments with incoming replacement Alden Parker (Gary Cole), who’s out to bring Gibbs to justice for his actions against the murderous Paul LeMere (Jason Wiles) in the Sonova Industries case. 

Of course, the “NCIS” train would never actually head down the “Gibbs goes to prison” track. Soon, it’s up to him and Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) to bring down Sonova and save a good chunk of Alaska’s nature, after which Gibbs decides that Naktok Bay is the place to be. With that and a whole lot of heartstring-tugging, the fearless leader of the Major Case Response Team is out … but at least the viewers finally get to find out how he got those boats out of his basement.

Directed by Mark Horowitz and written by Gina Lucita Monreal, “She” is an Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) show, with Ziva David’s (Cote de Pablo) shadow looming over all. When the team finds a young girl (Sunnie Pelant) in a Navy base storage container, Bishop discovers that the case is connected to the disappearance of the girl’s mother, Morgan Burke (Tess Elliot), which Ziva was following on her own. Bishop manages to solve the old case so dramatically that it causes Gibbs to physically burn his vaunted Rule 10 (“Never get personally involved on the case,” which Gibbs has definitely never ever broken himself.)

Apart from Bishop’s tenacity and the particularly nasty nature of the case, “She” is memorable for providing the audience the first tangible hint that Ziva might still be alive. All of these ingredients combine to give us one of the most thrilling and twisty “NCIS” episodes in the show’s history. 

Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) got her share of focus episodes over the years, but none hit as hard as “Bloodbath.” When a particularly violent-looking motel room scene turns out to be a clever attempt to assassinate Abby with cyanide gas, the team has to figure out who’s out to get her. Unfortunately, there’s no lack of candidates, from delusional stalker ex-boyfriend Mikel Mauher (Vincent Young) to individuals connected to a court case she’s involved in.

The secret behind Abby has always been her authenticity. Perrette plays her character like a raw nerve under the professionalism and cutesy goth antics, and in “Bloodbath,” that nerve rises to the surface as Abby is put through an absolute wringer. 

“Bloodbath” is an episode about bad things happening to the single purest character on the show, but luckily, director Dennis Smith and writer Steven D. Binder balance its ingredients expertly. The touching elevator scene with Gibbs and the ex situation with McGee add the exact amount of heart and levity to the trauma cocktail, which keeps things from getting too overwhelmingly heavy.

That opening with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) saving Gibbs and Maddie Tyler (Cameron Goodman) from the underwater car. That deliberate, flashback-driven buildup of Maddie seeking Gibbs’ help to deal with a stalker ex. That slow reveal of a situation that’s far stranger than Maddie and Gibbs originally suspected. 

Brought to you by director Tony Wharmby and writer Shane Brennan, “Requiem” is a textbook example of a well-built “NCIS” case. The added benefit here is that said case also happens to be inherently connected to Gibbs’ tragic past. While fascinating, the actual crime the episode deals with is almost an afterthought, compared to the at the time unprecedented focus on the usually unflappable MCRT leader’s tormented inner life. “Requiem” does a good job at opening up Gibbs’ past, and by the end of the episode, a certain hallucination will hit your tear ducts like a bowl of freshly chopped onions.

“SWAK” starts as an episode about team work. Written by “NCIS” co-creator Donald P. Bellisario and directed by Dennis Smith, chaos hits the Navy Yard when Tony DiNozzo opens a letter that coats him in white powder. The team falls into a preset biohazard procedure like clockwork while still finding time for their usual back-and-forth. When Tony actually turns out to have a modified version of the plague, the situation switches gears and becomes a race against time to solve an old, dark case that seems to be connected to the attack.

The true thrill of “SWAK” is that much of the episode is quite what it seems. During your first watch, the three-pronged structure of the team’s immediate dealing with the biological attack, the DiNozzo situation, and the mystery of the old case is a thrill ride. Even during a rewatch, the episode remains an interesting exploration of the Major Case Response Team’s dynamics. Whether you prefer the team as a tight, cohesive unit or a big, semi-dysfunctional work family, you’ll eat your fill here. Also, Steven Eckholdt plays a doctor character called Brad Pitt (no relation). What’s not to like?

Without its ending, “Twilight” might not make it on this list. Because of it, though, this is easily one of the most special “NCIS” episodes in the show’s history, thanks to the shocking way Sasha Alexander’s Caitlin “Kate” Todd is killed off. 

The follow-up to “SWAK” sees the villainous Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) hot on the heels of Gibbs once more, this time with murder in mind. Here, Ari’s true nature as a terrorist leader is revealed, and his brutal nature doubly so. The lengthy, climactic gunfight between the good and the bad guys ends with an apparent win for the former camp, albeit with a close call for Kate when she takes a bullet intended for Gibbs. Fortunately, she’s saved by her bulletproof vest. And then, it happens. 

Every “NCIS” fan remembers the moment. Kate Todd is revealed to be still alive, gets up, and cracks a grim joke as Tony smirks in the background. And then, bang! Out of nowhere, a sniper bullet through the head. Gibbs, DiNozzo, and the viewer are all equally stunned. Props to writer John C. Kelley and director Thomas J. Wright for delivering one of the most shocking deaths in the genre. 

“JAG” fans already knew about Leroy Jethro Gibbs and the Major Case Response Team when “NCIS” kicked off, so the series premiere needed to make sure that the viewer’s eye stays on the ball. Boy, does “Yankee White” ever deliver. 

Directed and written by Donald P. Bellisario (with Don McGill on co-writing duty), the episode pulls out some of the biggest guns available to a military police drama. The week’s mystery features Air Force One, the “nuclear football,” and even an assassination plot against President George W. Bush (Steve Bridges). The episode’s political leanings also allow it to hoist Kate Todd from her Secret Service job into the MCRT fold. 

As can be the case with series premieres, “Yankee White” hasn’t quite percolated into the “NCIS” we all know yet. However, most of the iconic ingredients are already there, and the episode’s place in the show’s chronology and the sheer magnitude of its stakes make it a Top 10 entry in the show’s annals.

Any deep dive into Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ past is generally a good time, and rarely more so than in director Tony Wharmby and writer Jesse Stern’s “Heartland.” While investigating a deadly alleyway attack, the team ends up in the last place Gibbs would like — his home town of Stillwater, Pennsylvania. 

The other team members are exhilarated to discover that their stone-faced team leader was once a regular guy, while Gibbs himself does his level best to keep the visit cordial — which becomes a lot harder when his father, Jackson Gibbs (Ralph Waite), turns up to meet his estranged son. With this, the reconnection between two generations of grumpy becomes intertwined with the mystery surrounding the town. 

“Heartland” is a charming small town episode and an examination of what makes Gibbs tick. While the case of the week isn’t ultimately much to write home about, it doesn’t need to be. This is an unabashed character episode, and one of the most important ones during Gibbs’ journey on the show. 

Out of the several major movie stars who appeared on “NCIS,” Christopher Lloyd’s guest star turn is arguably the most impressive. The show is often in fine form when it leans on the military history the team’s very existence is inherently a part of, and “The Arizona” tackles one of the U.S. Navy’s most monumental historical landmarks: Pearl Harbor.

Lloyd commands the Season 17 finale as Joe Smith, who breaks into Admiral Caplinger’s (Peter Murnik) home to catch the team’s attention. Joe served on the U.S.S. Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack and wants his ashes interred there when he dies. Since he illegally enlisted using his brother’s papers, he has no way to prove his service, and has reduced to stealing Caplinger’s daughter’s Purple Heart to force the Navy’s hand. Can Gibbs help?  

Though he has no obvious way to verify Joe’s identity, Gibbs — who may or may not associate the old man with his own dearly departed father — indeed can. Director James Whitmore Jr. and writer Gina Lucita Monreal deliver an episode that plays the viewer’s emotions like a violin on several occasions. Both Joe’s chilling account of the day of the attack and the touching Gibbs voiceover in the end are absolute gut punches that make “The Arizona” an “NCIS” standout, regardless of its uncharacteristically low stakes.

Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum) has passed. It’s time to remember him. Directed by Michael Zinberg, “The Stories We Leave Behind” deals with McCallum’s real-life death at 90 by dealing with the death of his character and the team’s struggle to cope with the loss of its longtime chief medical examiner-turned-NCIS historian. 

Fittingly, the man who plays Ducky’s protégé Jimmy Palmer was involved in making the episode pop. Brian Dietzen helped craft the farewell to both Ducky and McCallum by co-writing “The Stories We Leave Behind” with Scott Williams, and the end result is a touching episode that features the team solving an unfinished case in Ducky’s honor. 

There’s even a surprise cameo, though it isn’t Mark Harmon: Tony DiNozzo returns for some of that signature charm and snark, which turns out to be a perfect solution given his connection to Jimmy. “The Stories We Leave Behind” proves that a heartfelt tribute can also be an extremely entertaining episode. 

“Kill Ari” is technically a two-parter, but let’s be honest: “Part II” is the juicy one. The team is still reeling from Ari Haswari’s murder of Kate Todd, and Gibbs is in full revenge mode here — and to make things worse, Ducky Mallard has been taken hostage. Will the team lose another one of their own so shortly after Kate? 

The stakes are high, the blood is boiling, and the action is pristine in this episode directed by James Whitmore Jr.  and penned by Donald P. Bellisario. It all culminates into the very thing promised by the two-parter’s title: Ridding the world of the best “NCIS” villain once and for all. 

Ari has been a thorn in the team’s side since he casually invaded their headquarters in the Season 1 episode “Bête Noire.” Kate’s murder, Ducky’s abduction, and the revelation that he’s Ziva’s half-brother have all elevated the affable but ruthless villain to a boogeyman status, and it’s clear that either he or Gibbs has to go. The episode delivers its payload well, too. While it’s always questionable to cheer for a death, it’s really hard to feel bad when Ari goes down the exact way he killed Kate, courtesy of Ziva.

In another “NCIS” episode that embraces the past, director Jeff Woolnough and writer Roger Director deliver a rollercoaster of emotion with “Call of Silence.” When World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Ernie Yost (Charles Durning) admits to murdering his friend during the war, the team jumps to action. Yost seems like a good, personable man who’s losing his faculties and who wants to find out the truth of what happened all those years ago. As such, it’s up to the team to investigate what really occurred, and hopefully prove the old man innocent so he doesn’t lose his freedom and his medal.

One of the “NCIS” episodes that are easy to recommend to even the most casual viewer, the slow-paced, character-driven “Call of Silence” is a Charles Durning show. Everything here revolves around the veteran actor’s soulful, Emmy-nominated performance, and every member of the team gets to play off his considerable charms. Without him, the episode would be almost blatant in how emotional it gets — but with Durning anchoring it all, both the viewer and the characters can shed their tears without shame. 

“If you find meanness, you kill it with kindness,” says Jimmy Palmer in “Keep Going,” an episode that proves once and for all who he is. Jimmy may not identify as a classic gun-toting “NCIS” hero, but he’s willing to go above and beyond the call of duty when someone needs help.

Our key location is a narrow ledge where desperate, young Ryan Smith (Spencer Treat Clark) is preparing to jump after witnessing his Navy captain father (Josh Coxx) being killed by a car. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jimmy joins Ryan and tries to persuade the youngster to, yes, keep going, as the team scrambles to solve the truth behind the hit-and-run.  

Director Terrence O’Hara and writer Scott Williams’ masterpiece “NCIS” episode shows that even on a bad personal day, Jimmy Palmer will do whatever it takes to save a stranger. Powered by flashbacks to his encounters with Ducky Mallard and others, the episode largely unfolds through Jimmy’s discussions with Ryan, relayed to the other characters by a secretly planted mic. If anyone didn’t respect Dr. Palmer before this episode, they sure do afterwards — viewers and colleagues alike. That rare Gibbs hug in the end has never been more deserved.

The Season 7 opener “Truth or Consequences” resolves the nail-biting Season 6 cliffhanger about Ziva’s captivity at the hands of terrorists in Somalia. Director Dennis Smith and writer Jesse Stern join forces to deliver the episode’s narrative with an interrogation sequence where Saleem Ulman (Omid Abtahi) administers truth serum on Tony. The MCRT man relays his truncated team’s attempts to find a new team member to replace Ziva, and their eventual discovery that she has not been pulled back by Mossad but is instead held as a prisoner. And then the twist comes, and we find that this was all a big Hail Mary ruse to bring Ziva to safety.

As the genuine tension of the interrogation room gives way to one of the most fist pump-worthy action sequences in the show’s history, “NCIS” brings Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ experiences as a sniper to full play. One daring rescue mission and a heroes’ welcome later, the MCRT is back in full force. Still, the cathartic end of the episode isn’t quite enough to offset the terror of the interrogation — and the horrific revelation of how badly Ziva has been treated during her imprisonment. 

And just like that, Tony DiNozzo is no more. The most impactful season finale in “NCIS” history sees one of the series’ biggest series regular departures when the long-serving MCRT operator calls it quits on the team in the aftermath of the farmhouse bombing that seemingly killed his love. He has a good reason, too: Finding out that you’re now a single father of a daughter who you’ve never known will do that to a person. 

Tony has a lot of growing up to do here, and “Family First” treats the situation as well as you could ever hope for. The episode was written by Gary Glasberg and Scott Williams, and Tony Wharmby’s capable direction drives home just how much Tony’s life is changing, and how his colleagues and loved ones are willing to support him. 

At the end of the day, Tony shows us just how much he has grown from his wisecracking gung-ho roots over the years when he opts to resign and focus on his family. This isn’t the last time we see him, but when the episode originally aired, it sure seemed like a permanent goodbye — and the most touching one “NCIS” has ever delivered, at that.